Colloids

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True solution, colloidal solution and suspension.

True solution Solute particle size < 1nm

Solutions Colloidal solution 1nm < Solute particle size < 1000nm

suspension Solute Particle Size > 1000 nm

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True solution
• A true solution is a homogeneous mixture with consistent
properties.

• Filtration cannot separate the solute from the solution in a

true solution.

• The solute’s particle size is around the same as the solvent’s.

• The solvent and solute move through the filter paper

together.
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Colloidal solution
A colloid is a mixture in which one material is suspended in
another by microscopically scattered insoluble particles.

Particles ranging between 1 and 1000 nanometers in diameter,

yet are still able to remain evenly distributed throughout the
solution.

Also known as colloidal dispersions because the substances

remain dispersed and do not settle to the bottom of the
container.
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Colloidal solution and suspension are heterogeneous mixtures of
two or more substances.

True solution is a homogeneous mixture.

True solution is transparent, while Colloidal is translucent, and

Suspension is opaque.

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Requirements for colloids:
( To form a stable colloid)

• The particles should be small enough to remain suspended

in the continuous medium and not settle out due to gravity.
• The particles should have a high surface area-to-volume
ratio, which promotes interactions with the continuous
medium and prevents the particles from coalescing.
• The particles should have a charge or be coated with a
surfactant to prevent aggregation.

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 Disperse Phase Dispersion Medium Example
Types of colloids Liquid Gas Fog, mist, sprays

Solid Gas Industrial smoke

Gas Liquid Fire-extinguisher, foam

Liquid Liquid Milk, butter, some creams

Solid Liquid Inorganic colloids, e.g. silver halides

Gas Solid Insulating foam, expanded polymers

Liquid Solid Ice cream

Solid Solid Stained glass, pigmented polymers

Micelles Liquid Soap, detergents in water

Polymers Liquid Jellies, glue

Biocolloids
Corpuscles Serum Blood

Hydroxy-apatite Collagen Bone

Protein structures, thin films of lethecin, etc. Muscle, cell membranes

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Lyophilic colloid
Lyophilic colloids are the colloidal solution in which the dispersed phase
(particles) have a very strong affinity with the liquid.

Quite stable and cannot be easily coagulated.

Do not need stabilizing agents
The lyophilic sols are reversible in nature
The affinity of the dispersed particles with the dispersion medium is
high due to the formation of a large number of hydrogen bonds.

If water is the solvent : Hydrophilic colloids

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Lyophobic colloids

Dispersed phase has very little affinity for the dispersion medium.
Cannot be directly prepared. They are prepared by special methods.
The lyophobic sols are irreversible in nature.
They are unstable and can be easily coagulated by adding a small
amount of suitable electrolyte.

If water is the solvent : Hydrophobic colloids (eg: Clay)

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Hydrophobic Colloids
• Hydrophobic colloids are colloidal suspensions in which the
dispersed particles repel water, or are "water-hating".

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Properties of Colloidal Suspension

Particle size:
Typically range in size from 1 to 1000 nanometers.

Surface area:
The small size of the particles in a colloidal solution gives them a
very high surface area-to-volume ratio, making them highly
reactive and able to adsorb molecules.

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Viscosity:
Colloidal solutions can have higher viscosity than the solvent
alone, due to the presence of the dispersed particles and their
tendency to form a network.

Heterogeneity
Colloidal system is a heterogeneous mixture of dispersed and
dispersion medium.

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Brownian Motion
Zig-zag movement of colloidal particles continuously and randomly.

Tyndall Effect
Scattering of a light beam by a medium containing microscopic
suspended particles

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Electrical properties
Dispersed particles of colloid are electrically charged and carry
the same type of charge, either negative or positive. The
dispersion medium has an equal and opposite charge.

Optical properties
Colloidal solutions can have unique optical properties, such as
color or opacity, due to the presence of the dispersed
particles.

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Lyophilic and Lyophobic colloids
Preparation Methods

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Lyophilic colloids

• Most lyophilic colloids can be prepared by dissolving the

particles in a solvent or medium and then stirring or
agitating the mixture.
• Some lyophilic colloids, like proteins, can be extracted from
natural sources by solubilization and purification.

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Lyophobic colloids
• Can be prepared by chemical synthesis, where the particles are
synthesized from precursor molecules in the presence of a
stabilizing agent.
• They can also be prepared by dispersion methods, where the
particles are dispersed in a medium with the help of a
stabilizing agent like a surfactant or polymer.

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Structure of Clays

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Structure of Clays
Clay minerals are a group of minerals that are characterized by,
• Their small particle size (typically less than 2 micrometers)
• Their ability to absorb water.

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Structure of Clays
• The basic structure of clay minerals consists of layers of
silicate tetrahedra and/or aluminate octahedra that are
bonded together.

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Basic Building blocks of clay minerals
Clay
Silica Tetrahedron
Aluminum Octahedron

T O

Oxygen Si Al

Repetition of these building blocks creates different type of clays. 21

There are three main types of clay minerals:
• kaolinite,
• Smectite (Montmorillonite )
• Illite.

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Kaolinite Al2O3.2SiO2.2H2O

• Kaolinite is a type of clay mineral that is composed of a single

layer of aluminum-oxygen octahedra bonded to a single layer
of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra.

This structure is often referred to as a "1:1" structure.

Water molecules can easily slip between them.

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Kaolinite

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 Kaolinite
• The bonding between layers are van der Waals forces and
hydrogen bonds .
• There is no interlayer swelling
Eg. nacrite, dickite, and halloysite

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Montmorillonite (Smectite)
(Na,Ca)0.33(Al, Mg)2(Si4O10)OH2.nH2O
• Smectite is a type of clay mineral that has a more complex
structure than kaolinite.
• It is composed of a layer of aluminum-oxygen octahedra
bonded to two layers of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra.
• This structure is often referred to as a "2:1" structure.

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Montmorillonite
• The layers are held together by strong electrostatic forces,
and water molecules can be absorbed into the structure.

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 Illite
• Illite is a type of clay mineral that is similar in structure to
smectite, but it has a higher proportion of aluminum in its
octahedral layer.
• Illite also contains some potassium ions that are bonded to the
structure.
• This gives illite a slightly different chemical composition and
properties compared to smectite.
• E.G: phyllosilicate,

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Negativity of Clay
• Clay minerals in soils have permanent negative charges on
their interlayer surfaces created from isomorphic
substitution
• Cations are attracted to the negatively charged interlayers
through electrostatic forces.

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Isomorphs Substitution
• Isomorphous substitution in clays is a process in which some
atoms in the crystal lattice of a clay mineral are replaced by
other atoms of similar size and charge.
• Resulting in the formation of a new mineral.

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Isomorphs Substitution
• Since the valences of the replaced and replacing ions are the
same, the structure remains electrically neutral.

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Isomorphs Substitution
It is however possible for substitution to occur in which valences of the
replaced and replacing ions are not the same.
The most common isomorphous substitution in clays involves the
replacement of aluminum (Al) atoms in the octahedral sheet with
magnesium (Mg) or iron (Fe) atoms.
This substitution results in a negative charge imbalance
which is balanced by the adsorption of cations, such as sodium (Na),
calcium (Ca), or potassium (K), in the interlayer spaces between the
structural units.

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Isomorphs Substitution
• Although the size of the replacing ion is similar to the ion it replaces,
sizes of the two ions are not identical.
• Replacement resulting some strain in the lattice.
• Clay minerals which shows isomorphous substitution shows
disordered structure.
• Disordered structure leads to decrease the stability and results to
decrease particle size.

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Isomorphous substitution

Strain in the lattice

Disordered structure

Decrease the stability

Decrease particle size

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Isomorphs Substitution

• Isomorphous substitution can affect the physical and

chemical properties of clay minerals.

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Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
• The total number of cations a soil can hold. (or its total negative
charge)
• The higher the CEC, the higher the negative charge and the more
cations that can be held.
• CEC is measured in millequivalents per 100 grams of soil (meq/100g).

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• An equivalent is the amount of a substance that reacts with (or is
equivalent to) an arbitrary amount of another substance in a given
chemical reaction.
• The mass of an equivalent is called its equivalent weight

• Gram equivalent = Atomic weight/Valency

• 1 milli equivalent = 1 gram equivalent/1000

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Example
• If the C.E.C of a given clay is 10 m.e./100g , how much Na+ and Ca2+
can be adsorbed.

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Na+
Na+ atomic weight = 23 g
Gram Equivalent of Na+ = 23/1
Milli equivalent of Na+ = 23/1000 = 0.023
For the given clay = 0.023*10 = 0.23 g/100g

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Ca2+
• Ca2+ atomic weight = 40 g
• Gram Equivalent of Ca2+ = 40/2
• Milli equivalent of Ca2+ = 20/1000 = 0.020
• For the given clay = 0.020*10 = 0.20 g/100g

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Cation Exchange Series
• Hofmeister Series / Lytropic series

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Cation Exchange Series
• Negatively charged clay is satisfied by the adsorption of some cations
externally (X+).
• It is possible to replace the adsorbed cation by some cation (Y+) by
treating the clay with a solution of Y+.
• X clay + Y+ -------- Y Clay + X+
• The extent to which the reaction proceeds depends on,
• The nature of ions.
• Their relative concentrations
• Any secondary reaction that may occur
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Cation Exchange Series
• H+>Al3+>Ba2+>Sr2+>Mg2+>NH4+>K+>Na+>Li+

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